Isaac platschart



(No Moden) I. PLA'ISGHART.

APPLE SLIOBR.

Piment May 12, 1891.

\/VTNE55E5 INVENTDL Nita STATES .PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC PLATSCI-IART, OF SODUS,l NEW YORK.

.APPLE-SL'IGER.1

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 452,034, dated May 12,1891.

Application filed January 30, 1891. Serial No. 379,675. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it' may concern.-

Be it known that I, ISAAC PLATSCHART, of the town of Sodus, in thecounty of Wayne and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Apple- Slicers, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to the improvements in appleslicers hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a side elevation ofmy device. Fig. II is a top plan view thereof. Fig. IIIis a verticalsectional view on the line 0cm of Fig. II.

A is a suitabletable and frame-Work fortning the support for themechanism.

B B are longitudinal straight slots formed in the top of said table.

C C are aseries of stepped knives arranged in planes parallel to and atregular suitable distances from the top of the table.

D is a shelf or hopper to hold the apples in a convenient positionbefore subjecting Athem to the slicing.

F. E are two pairs of sprocket-wheels arranged under and near the endsof the top of the table.

F is a guide-pulley arranged under the top of the table. Around the twosprocket-wheels and over the guide-pulley F pass two endless chains orbelts G G a little farther apart than the distance of the outer sides ofthe outer4 slotsB B. Thesprocket-wheelEandtheguidepulley F are soarranged that the chains pass from the top of the sprooket-wheelE overthe top of the guide-pulley F parallel to the bed of the table. The topof the sprocket-Wheel E is set at alower level than the top of theguidepulley F and at such a distance that the chain G G", passing fromthe guide-pulley F to the sprocket-wheel E, shall be parallel with aplane passing through the edges of the knives C C. To each chain G Gandatright angles to theni-are fastened a series of blocks or supports H H.These blocks are fastened to the 'outer sides of the chains or in such amanner that the chains and blocks may pass freely around thesprocket-wheels E E and over the guide-pulley F. Upon these blocks orsupports are fastened a series of upright pins or fingers I I, which areso arranged as to pass through the slots and to project above the planeof the top of the table.

Any suitable mechanism, such as the treadle K, fly-Wheel L, andgear-Wheels M N, may be used to give motion to one of thesprocketwheels, and thus to move the chains. The sprocket-Wheel E isjournaled in a suitable movable block O, the position of which can beregulated by a tightening-screw P, so that as the chains or belts G Gstretch they can be properly tightened, or any other suitable mechanismfor this purpose may be employed.

The sprocket-wheels E E move in the di rection indicated by the arrows.

Similar letters refer to similar parts th roughout the several views.

If an apple (preferably previouslyT cored and peeled) is placed upon theslatsseparating the slots B B and the machine is set in motion, thefingers I I will coniein contact with it and will push it along the topof the table toward the set of knives. The guide-pulley F is placedsubstantially under the first knife, and the sprocket-wheel E is placednearly under the last knife, of the series. The apple thus being movedalong meets the first knife and a sliceis taken from it. Thebelt changesits direction, and since the bed of the table is level the eifect of thechange of direction of the chains, to which are attached the blocks IIand the fingers I I, will be that the lingers pass through the slotsaway from the knives, so as not to strike them, while the apple movesalong in the same plane, being pushed by the lingers I I. It willtherefore be sliced by the successive knives and the slices will besuccessively pushed off through the knives by the slicing of the nextapple and Will fall into any suitable receptacle at the end of thetable.

A proper speed is given to the sprocketwheels, chains, and fingers, andapples may be rapidly placed from the shelf D upon the top of the tablebetween the successive sets of fingers and will be successively movedalong and sliced.

The knives C C are set upon suitable supports Q Q', having regular stepsmade upon them and may be bolted or otherwise fastened IOO to saidsupports Q Q. One or more guides R may be placed upon the top of thetable, so that apples will be guided into the space between the supportsQ Q. It is evident that a single belt may be used instead of the pair ofchains or belts; butI prefer the form above described and shown.

My device is inexpensive to build, is easy to operate, and is rapid inaction, inasmuch as the action is continuous and in one direction andthere is no lost motion. The sets of fingers I I are set at suchdistances apart as will enable the operator to place an apple betweenthe successive sets when the machine is running at, its highestpracticable speed.

What I claim isl. The combination of the table, the endlesscarrier-belt, mounted as described, the fingers attached to said belt,the straight longitudinal slots in said table, and the setof steppedknives, all operating as described.

2. The combination of a table having longitudinal slots with series ofstepped knives set thereon in parallel planes, endless chains or belts7a series of sets of fingers attached to said chains or belts andarranged to passl through and move along said slots, and means forcontinuously moving and guiding said chains or belts iirst parallel tosaid table and then parallel to the plane of the edges of said knives. t

3. The combination of a table having longitudinal slots, a series ofstepped knives set upon said table, endless chains or belts set undersaid table and bearing blocks having fingers set to register with andextend through the slots in the table, together withmeans for tachedcrosswise to said chains, fingers fastened to said supports and arrangedto register with and extend through said slots, and means for causingsaid fingers to move away from each knife as they approach the same.

5. The combination of a table having longitudinal slots, a series ofstepped knives set in parallel planes upon one end of said slottedtable, a sprocket-wheel set under one end of said table, a guide-pulleyset approximately under the highest of said knives and a sprocket-wheelset approximately under the lowest of said knives and on a lower levelthan the guide-pulley, endless chains or belts passing around saidsprocket-Wheels and over said guide-pulley7 supports attached cross-Wise to said chains, sets of fingers fastened to said supports andarranged to register with and extend through said slots, whereby eachset of fingers pushes an apple along said table and then as itapproaches each knife the iingers move away from the same.

ISAAC PLATSCHART. Vitnesses:

WM. E. MARsELLUs, C. D. KIEHEL.

